rdelaney

They did--in 1944. The markings in question were in 1943, when VC-13 still flew F4Fs. VC-13

The Gateway Chapter of IPMS will hold its 20th annual Invitational model contest and swap meet on Saturday, September 19, 2026. It will be held at the Madison County Fairgrounds, located at 2025 Park Hill Dr. in Highland, Illinois. This is a new location for the Invitational. The show opens to the public at 9 a.m. and runs to approximately 3 p.m. (All times are Central Time.) Admission is $5 for adults and free for children aged 12 and under. Admission plus unlimited model registrations are $10 for adults and free for children aged 12 and under. Model registration and viewing are from 9 a.m. to noon. The contest has 35 categories, including juniors, and there will be 10 "Best of" awards. The Special Contest Category is "Red, White, and Blue," for any model with a paint scheme or markings including those colors. This references America's Semi Quincentennial Anniversary. Additionally, there will be hobby vendors, a display-only area, and a model kit raffle benefitting the club. Show chairperson Bill Wagner may be reached at 314-951-4936 or at startechbill@gmail.com. For more show information, please visit the Gateway Chapter IPMS Contest website: https://sites.google.com/view/ipmsgatewaychapter/contest Show flyer is attached. (NOTE: The 51st anniversary on the flyer refers to Gateway Chapter, NOT to the Invitational.) 2026 gateway.pdf

I have the Eduard 1/48 F4F-4 Wildcat late Weekend Edition kit (item #84204). One of the four markings options is for a Wildcat of VC-13 on USS Core (CVE-13) in August 1943. This aircraft has the ASWN I scheme (dark grey, light gray, white) for the Atlantic. The decals include US national insignia with the red border, with the option for the blue border. According to the color scheme and decal placement notes on the instruction sheet (pg. 13), the upper wing insignia is blue and red with NO white for the star and side bars; this insignia is directly on the dark gray upper wing surface. (The same insignia is used on the lower wing surface which is white. Is this really correct? I am quite sure the US national insignia of the time had the white stars and bars on all placements 9upper left wing, lower right wing, fuselage sides). The fuselage insignias are red, white, and blue, but the wing insignias are red and blue only. My scan of this instruction sheet page is attached. Can anyone prove or disprove these markings? I have had no luck so far in trying to confirm or deny this via references I have checked to date. Thank you in advance for whatever help you can give me in this matter. Bob

Thank you, Mark.

I am hoping someone here can help me. I have the AMT 1:200 Artemis I kit and I am trying to find the colors to replicate the tan and orange portions of the Space Launch System (SLS) core stage. I would prefer not having to mix paint colors as much as possible. Anyone out there with any suggestions should please respond here. Thank you. Bob

The Gateway Chapter of IPMS/USA will present its 19th annual model contest and swap meet on Saturday, September 13, 2025. This event will be held at Affton Elks Lodge #2635, 6330 Heege Road, St. Louis, MO 63123. This year's event will serve as the IPMS/USA Region 14 Contest. The show opens to the public at 9 a.m. and runs to approximately 3 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults and free for children aged 12 and under. Admission plus unlimited contest entries (accepted from 9 a.m. to noon) is $10 for adults and free for children aged 12 and under. The contest has 40 categories, including juniors, and there will be 10 "Best of" awards. A special category celebrates "Golden Age: 1975" (any kit or detail parts available up to and including kits prior to 1975). This special category references Gateway Chapter's 50th anniversary this year. Additionally, there will be hobby vendors and a raffle of model kits and supplies, with proceeds benefitting the club. Show chairperson Bill Wagner may be reached at 314.951.4936 or at startechbill@gmail.com. For more show information, please visit the Gateway Chapter IPMS Contest website: https://sites.google.com/view/ipmsgatewaychapter.contest Flyer2025 (1).pdf

I am coordinating a display for the Asian Air Arms SIG at the Tiger Meet in Hampton. If you or anyone you know is in the SIG and will be at the National next month, please contact me and let me know how many models you are bringing to the display. We have a table for our display, to which I will include literature about the SIG. Talk to you all later. Bob Home | asianairarms

Mark, thank you for doing this. One of my Gateway chaptermates has sent me these blasts a few times, so I am familiar with them. As editor of Gateway's newsletter, I do appreciate seeing what other chapter newsletters are like. Keep up the good work! Bob

Thanks, Gil! Glad to share this. I imagine the Shenyang designers had the J-6 (MiG-19) tailpipes in mind when designing the J-8. I appreciate the kind words.

Last week, I finished this model of the J-8II (J-8B) "Finback-B" interceptor. It was built out of the box, with kit markings for an aircraft of the PLAAF's 3rd Fighter Regiment, 1st Fighter Division at Anshan in the 1990s. The model assembled well, with just a bit of putty needed on the wing-fuselage joints. A few fiddly parts (such as the landing gear struts and the forward fuselage probes), but a good kit overall. I did have a bit of issues on the finish, requiring a few touch ups. At least, I have a representation of a recent Chinese military aircraft.

Beautiful work, Ron.

Thank you, Mark. Those items were a bit tricky to get right. I was generally happy with the result. Bob

Gil, Thanks for the good words. I bought the Round 2 repop of the AMT kit at a swap meet last spring and it came together rather well. I finished it with Mission Models paints--my first real experience using them. I hope to have more bench time this year to do more (I have an aircraft model in progress now), though life could affect that schedule. Take care and happy modeling in 2025! Bob

My four models that were built in 2024. I hoped to have had more, but one thing or another happened to get in the way. Two 1:76 Airfix armor subjects: 6-poounder anti-tank gun and Bren Gun Carrier. Two 1:48 aircraft: AMT F9F-2 Panther and Monogram F-16A Fighting Falcon. All these were built out of the box. Anyway, enjoy seeing these builds and hope to have more kits completed in 2025. Happy modeling! Bob

Same issue here.

Thanks for your help!

I have a question (and apologize in advance if this has been answered before) regarding the Hasegawa 1:72 F-102A kit. I have the AMT boxing of this kit. Which wing type is this kit: Case X or Case XX. I just got some Starfighter Decals (72-149) with markings for F-102s with both types of wing. If any of you can help or at least steer me in the right direction, that would be most appreciated. Thank you in advance. Happy modeling> Bob

Beautiful work on those Tu-16s. I have that kit in my stash.

Beautiful work on this model! Thanks for sharing the story of the model with us.

Chad, Thanks for the tip. I did go on AirBnB and did find a room that was cheaper than the hotel room I reserved. I will cancel the hotel reservation and go with the bed and breakfast. It's only about a 5-minute drive from the convention venue. Bob

I just made reservations for a hotel in San Marcos. It's a single room with just me. If anyone still wants me for a roommate, they have until 30 July, when I can cancel my reservation at the hotel. Feel free to contact me if you are interested. Bob

I am looking for a roommate for the National Convention. I will be coming into San Marcos on Wednesday 2 August and leaving right after it ends on the following Saturday. I will be willing to share in the room costs and can forward an advance to you right away. Please let me know ASAP. Thank you. Bob

IPMS/Gateway will present its 17th annual model contest and swap meet on Saturday, September 9, 2023. The event will be held at a new location this year: Affton Elks Lodge 2635, 6330 Heege Road, St. Louis, MO 63123. The show opens to the public at 9:00 a.m. and runs to approximately 3:00 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults and free for children ages 12 and under. Admission plus unlimited model registrations is $10 for adults and free for children ages 12 and under. Model registration and viewing are from 9:00 am to noon. The contest has 36 categories, including juniors and out of the box, and there will be 10 “Best of” awards. A special contest category celebrates “Versus!” (Any two subjects that were enemies or competitors) Additionally, there will be hobby vendors and a raffle of model kits and supplies, with proceeds benefitting the club. Show chairperson Bill Wagner may be reached at 314.951.4936 or at startechbill@gmail.com. For more show information, please visit the Gateway Chapter IPMS Contest website: http://sites.google.com/view/ipmsgatewaychapter/contest 2023 Show Flyer.pdf

Beautiful work on that kit. I had that over 40 years ago. I am tempted to get the Atlantis repop.

Tom, I can do that. Thanks. Bob